1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to image forming apparatuses such as digital copy machines, multifunction peripherals, and printers, in which a hardware self-diagnosis is implemented. The present invention also relates to hardware self-diagnosing methods and programs.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, self-diagnosing techniques are gaining attention as part of maintenance work to prevent apparatus failure. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2002-63048 discloses a technique for performing a maintenance process, such as self-diagnosis, on an apparatus quickly at low cost, without requiring the dispatch of an installation technician or a field support technician to the location of the installed apparatus.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 7-312665 discloses a self-diagnosis technique whereby a prerecorded address is notified about a result of self-diagnosis via telephone lines or the like, thus enabling the external notification of an accurate self-diagnosis result or error content.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2007-316265 discloses a technique whereby an image forming apparatus that has failed to make an error report is prompted by a command from a remote management apparatus to perform self-diagnosis, wherein the remote management apparatus is notified about a self-diagnosis result. The technique thus allows the image forming apparatus to be maintained before any fatal failure develops in the apparatus, without periodically dispatching a field support technician to the installed location of the apparatus.
While these publications discuss various self-diagnosis techniques for preventing an apparatus failure, if a self-diagnosis is performed each time the main power to the apparatus is turned on, this slows down the starting up of the apparatus and extends the time before a user can operate the apparatus. However, there is actually no need to implement the hardware self-diagnosis on a control unit each time the main power is turned on. This is because it is only necessary to detect a possible device failure due to aging, and reliability can be ensured by implementing the self-diagnosis at certain predetermined intervals.
There is also the demand for reduced startup time following the turning on of main power to an image forming apparatus, with a resultant need to reduce the time for hardware self-diagnosis on the controller unit. On the other hand, there is also the need to perform a detailed diagnosis to detect a hardware failure and the like caused by an accident, use environment, or aging with improved accuracy so that a repair or replacement can be smoothly implemented as needed.